We should've capitalised on good starts, says batting coach Sanjay Bangar

While skipper Virat Kohli showed “terrific discipline” during his innings of 149 in the first Test against England in Birmingham, India’s other batsmen failed to capitalise on the good start which was given by the two openers – Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan felt the team’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar. India were all out for 274 in reply to England’s first innings score of 287, conceding a lead of 13 runs.

Vijay (20) and Dhawan (26) took India to 50 but once the former fell, the visitors saw a mini-collapse, losing five wickets before another 50 runs were added. Later, the tail-enders showed resolve and gave Kohli the required company to get closer to the English total. For the hosts, Sam Curran ran through India’s top order while James Anderson, Adil Rashid and Ben Stokes scalped two wickets apiece.

“Once we got a good start, we should’ve capitalised on it. But the openers handled the new ball really well, and the angles that were created by Sam Curran – credit to him that he could create those angles,” Bangar was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz after the end of second day’s play.

The game is well placed

Sanjay Bangar, however, felt that the Test match hangs in balance after India managed to nip out the key wicket of Alastair Cook late in the day. It was a carbon copy dismissal of his first innings, as Ravi Ashwin scalped him for the ninth time in 22 innings.

“England is used to playing in these conditions and we don’t really play in these conditions too often, but the gap is a mere 18 [13] runs. Definitely the game is really well placed and the wicket which we got close to the end of day’s play has put the game in a very, very good balance,” the 46-year-old added.

Bangar himself had played a rock-solid innings of 68 runs off 236 deliveries at Leeds in the third Test of the series that India and England played in 2002 and the visitors had won that game by an innings and 46 runs. All of India’s the then top three – Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly – had slammed tons in that game but it was Bangar’s anchor that had paved the way for the middle order to flourish.

In Birmingham, however, no similarity was found as India lost their first three wickets by the time they reached 59 after a good start. According to Bangar, Kohli’s discipline laid in the fact that he did not go out for the ball which the other batsmen did and invited their own downfall.

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